Shia LaBeouf, an actor whose erratic behavior often veers into the realm of bizarre performance art, has invited us all to watch him watch his movies — all 29 of them, in reverse chronological order.

After spending about 24 hours camped out in the Angelika Film Center on Houston Street in Manhattan, Mr. LaBeouf was still going strong on Wednesday morning with his “All My Movies” project. At the theater and online, people could watch a live stream that showed Mr. LaBeouf staring at the movie screen, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and a blank expression.

Mr. LaBeouf’s public personality is complex. He began acting as a child and grew up to prove his bankability through steady work on big-budget films. But offstage, he has been unpredictable, and his frequent run-ins with law enforcement, dating back almost a decade, tend to involve alcohol.

As the lines of people at the theater suggested, he inspires some public fascination. Many wonder about the proper way to pronounce his name (shy-UH luh-BUFF). Some created memes that he is a cannibal.

And then there’s the side of him that finds artistic expression in sitting in a chair and staring.

Last year, Mr. LaBeouf sat in a Los Angeles art gallery and stared at visitors while wearing a bag on his head. This was presumably an extension of a public apology that came after he was accused of plagiarizing material for a short film. He would later say that he was sexually assaulted by a visitor at the gallery.

“This behavior could be a sign of many things, from a nervous breakdown to mere youthful recklessness,” James Franco, another actor known for his eccentricity, wrote.

On Wednesday morning, about 50 people stood in a line that snaked through the lobby of the theater on the border of Greenwich Village and SoHo. The hopeful people in line waited for others to exit the theater, but most inside weren’t budging.

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Patrons waited to enter Shia LeBouf's screening of his films back-to-back at The Angelika Film Center in Manhattan. The audience was invited to watch with him.CreditBenjamin Norman for The New York Times

Near the front, Olivia Marsh, a 22-year-old Brooklynite who recently graduated from New York University, stood near a cluster of people who were sleeping on the floor. She and her boyfriend, Ian Swan, had arrived around 4 a.m. Six hours later, they were still waiting their turn.

“Shia’s people won’t let them kick anyone out,” she said of the moviegoers. “They’re letting them leave on their own accord. But no one will.”

At one point, the live stream appeared to be broken; at another, Mr. LaBeouf took a break in the employee lounge.

“We saw one guy literally lose faith in humanity,” Mr. Swan, a 24-year-old writer, said. “He stood at the front of the line for an hour and a half.”